The Lost Child
by fictionalfallacies
Summary: Years into the future, Amy and Rory have had their clocks stopped, River and 11 are madly in love, and the second timewar rages. River sends their daughter away to avoid history repeating, but the baby girl isn't where she was sent. W/ all NS companions.
1. Prologue

Hey Guys, I know that it's a bit rough, but hopefully it will get better. I'm not used to writing 3 person POV, so it's a little difficult to switch gears.

***Disclaimer* I do not own any Doctor Who characters, nor any of the Doctor Who writers' ideas.**

* * *

><p>Prologue<p>

River Song walked into the large loading dock, cradling the infant in her arms. She approached a computer system and sat down. A bright red "RECORD" button called to her attention and she pressed it.

A message popped up on the screen. River Song followed the directions and verified her identity. The baby continued to sleep soundly in her arms as River began to record her message.

"Oh my darling Harmony. My beautiful baby. This is your mother. I am so sorry. I'm sorry that we had to send you away. There is a war. It's called the Second Time War. There are people, whole races in fact, that would steal you away from us in an instant if they had the chance.

"Harmony, when I was a baby, I was taken from my parents to be used against the Doctor, your father. I cannot, will not, let that happen to you. I want you to grow up and be able to make your own decisions about which side to join. Just know that I love you. Your father loves you. Your grandparents love you. If there was any way around this you have to believe that I would have chose it in a heartbeat. I know this is a lot to take in, but your father and I had no choice. Be good my darling, Mummy loves you."

River shut off the device, wiped a tear from her eye, and watched her message transfer onto a small silver charm. She picked up the precious bit of star shaped metal and attached it to the bracelet on her wrist, careful not to stir the baby.

River sighed. Hers was the last charm to be added to the bracelet. Each one was a different shape, ranging from a bow, an Angel, a clock, and a Police box to a Roman helmet, and each charm told a different story. One told of the story of the baby's father, a Timelord in his 11th regeneration. Another charm gave the child background to her mother's own tragic life. Other charms told the stories of her grandparents, the First Time War and various pieces of history. There were several charms that explained the Second Time War. So much information had to be shared, after all, it was the reason River had to send her child to Earth.

River was kissing the baby goodbye when the Doctor walked in. "Hello sweetie," she managed to choke out while the tears streamed down her face.

"River, darling," he began, "It won't be forever. I won't lose her like I almost lost you." The Doctor did his best at comforting his distraught wife. He was looking upon his wife and child when the red alert began. Red warning lights flooded the loading area as an alarm began to sound. River handed the Doctor their baby and pulled out her data pad.

"They've breached the lower levels, is her pod ready to go," River asked, letting the worry slip into her voice.

"Well, not exactly," came the reply, in a fashion very typical of the Doctor. He quickly walked over to a small shuttle and placed the baby inside. River followed suit, planting a kiss on the little girl's forehead. The Doctor and River shut the shuttle together. Just then, a band of soldiers entered the loading dock.

"How long do you need?" River asked, pulling a blaster out of her jacket pocket while the Doctor simultaneously pulled his Sonic Screwdriver from his own pocket.

"I just have to finish putting in the coordinates," he said, then he opened the control panel, programming the pod while muttering under his breath, "Planet Earth. 51st century. London, England."

He finished entering the coordinates and set the launch sequence. River was slowly getting overwhelmed. He turned to help her and barely missed a blast aimed at him. The Doctor and River were fighting a losing battle, but their guards were slowly pouring through the doors to help. The Doctor turned back to his infant's carrier and shut the lid, failing to notice the bits of sparks in the fried hardware, to anxious to help his wife. His daughter flew away into the night without the Doctor even realizing the error. The system had been reprogrammed.


	2. The First Meeting

**Alright, here is the next chapter. Hope you like it. **

**Another thing, how many of you would be opposed to the rating on this story going up? I have an idea, but it would require a T rating at least, if not an M.**

* * *

><p>17 years later<p>

Century: 21st

Planet: Earth

Location: Starlight, Missouri, USA

Alex slipped out of the front door and laughed. Did her parents really think a simple home alarm system could keep her in her room? She rummaged through the bag hanging at her side until she found the iPod touch nestled at the bottom of the inside pocket.

She turned it on and immediately, anyone watching would be able to tell that it wasn't an ordinary iPod. Alex had received it as a birthday present a little over a year ago and in that time she'd modified it from a simple iPod touch to the mainframe behind all of her gadgets and gizmos. Not only was it the power source and main frame, but it was the screen too, it displayed all the information each device collected. Alex unlocked the main screen and chose an app marked, "Track-It."

A blue and white, blueprint style map of the area came on the screen as well as a big red button marked, "Activate." Alex took a deep breath and pushed the button. Nothing happed. She waited a few minutes, finally opening a control panel and tweaking a few of the touch screen buttons. Alex turned back to the screen. She was about to let out a sigh of disappointment when a red dot began to flash in the parking lot of the town park.

A wide grin spread across her face. Her new tracking device worked! Alex slipped the iPod into the attachment on her bike and rode towards the park. She found the almost microscopic device in the sand pit next to the parking lot. Something was wrong. The tracking device was on top of the sand, but there were too many indentions.

Alex scanned the ground. There: two long drag marks with a pair of footprints on either side. There was a fight here. Something must have happened, something that activated Alex's tracking device, but also made it drop into the sand. Alex pulled out a flashlight from her bag and followed the tracks. She reached a line of bushes on the edge of the sand pit. Alex could hear muffled voices on the other side. Once again, she rummaged through her bag, trading the flashlight for a toy-gun that looked like it had a spy dish attached to it. She turned a dial on the side, setting the gun to stun.

Alex was careful not to show herself. She knelt down and crawled close enough to make out three hooded figured. One of the figures had a gold chain around his neck. The other two held a small, nerdy-looking man between them. The hooded man with the gold chain addressed the nerd. "Well Doctor, your precious baby girl is going to be 17 soon. 17 long years I've waited. 17 long years I've tried to track her down, but her DNA wasn't strong enough. She wasn't realized enough to give a signal, but in just a few days… She will be. And then, she will be mind!"

The small man, the one called the Doctor screamed, "No!" The three hooded figures laughed. Alex watched as the leader brandished a glowing sword, swinging around his head and making a motion that Alex could only associate with execution.

Before she knew what she was doing, Alex was on her feet running towards the commotion. One, two, three perfect shots. Each figure stumbled around, disoriented. Alex immediately knew something was wrong. Those blasts should have been enough to knock any grown man unconscious, but these figures still stood, regaining their balance. The Doctor reached into his coat pocket then muttered something under his breath when his hand returned empty.

Immediately, Alex's instincts and her years of Tae Kwon Do training kicked in. It was almost like time slowed down. Alex could see everyone and everything. She knew what she had to do, and what she shouldn't do. She saw the figures actions before they did; it was like everything was working together. Everyone, everything, they were all just cogs in a big clock. Every piece fit into a trap, but Alex liked traps. After all, there hadn't been a trap built yet that could keep her held for long. She effortlessly shut them down, blocking their punches and kicking them with perfect precision. The Doctor watched from the sidelines the pale teenager took out three highly trained, armed assassins. Suddenly, a beeping noise started coming from the leader's pocket.

He pulled out a COMM. Unit and held the walkie-talkie like device to his ear. A rumble started in his throat and Alex could only assume that it was the creature's version of laughter. He looked at the Doctor and said, "Looks like your daughter's birthday present will be arriving a few days early. The scanners are picking something up." Alex watched as the three figures disappeared and a look of utter devastation came over the Doctor's face.

Alex bent over and coughed. It almost felt like she was coughing up a lung, but she was getting used to being sick all the time. Though, maybe fighting wasn't such a good idea right now. The Doctor came up behind her. Alex stood and turned towards him, her hands clenched in fists ready to fight. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor. What's your name?" he asked with a very distinct British accent.

Alex relaxed a little, but held her ground. "I'm Alex. Alexandra. Where are you from?"

"Well, Alexandra, that was a mighty bit of martial arts you just exhibited, and can't you tell? I'm from across the pond," he said, walking back towards the parking lot and the sand pit.

Alex dropped her fighting stance and jogged the short distance between them. "Like Britain, right? But I mean, where in Britain?"

They reached a blue Police box that Alex had failed to notice earlier. "Ah, you see, that's where it gets complicated. Lots of places have a pond to cross now, don't they?" the Doctor said, opening the door. He turned back to face her. "Would you like a cup of tea? Or possibly a bandage? Your forehead is bleeding."

Alex's hand shot to her temple. Sure enough, there was something warm and sticking oozing down the side of her face. "Oh no. Oh no!" she wailed, mostly to herself. "How am I going to explain this? I'm supposed to be on strict bed rest. I'm not even supposed to be going out of my room!"

The Doctor motioned inside his box. "I can fix that," he said. Alex hesitated. The man looked reliable enough, but how was she supposed to know if this man was a psychotic serial killer, just waiting to lure his next victim into his blue box of death?

It was almost as if the man could read her mind because, not two seconds later, he said, "I know, it's crazy. A strange man with a big, blue box comes and offers a miracle cure for a scratch. But, judging by your martial arts skills, height and approximate body weight compared to my lack of weapons or fighting experience, let me assure you that I am not going to harm you. Just trust me," obviously trying to be funny. The Doctor offered his hand to her.

Alex was still weary, but she looked deep into the man's eyes. She didn't know why, but she had the strangest feeling she knew this man from some other place, or some other time, but no. That wasn't possible. She shook the thought out of her head. "Yeah," she said, nodding, "Ok." She walked into the blue box and her mouth fell open. She turned a couple circles before saying, "Whoa. It's bigger on the inside…"

"Yes, well, welcome aboard the TARDIS. That's T-A-R-D-I-S, Time and Relative Dimension in Space. She is my time machine, and my space ship. We can go anywhere in time or space aboard this ship, but first, let's go to the kitchen. I'm hungry."

Alex followed the Doctor down several hallways to an old kitchen. The Doctor immediately crossed to the fridge. "I don't get it," Alex mused, "everything else looks so new, so space-agey, but this room looks like it was pulled straight out of the 1970's or 80's." She sat at the table in the middle of the room and looked at the old fridge, the gas flame stove and the other older looking appliances that littered the counters.

The Doctor looked at her from behind the fridge door and said, "Well, yes. I re-designed this room from my mother-in-law. It's a replica of the house she grew up in," he explained. "Now, what do you want to eat?"

Alex hesitated a moment. She wondered if the Doctor would laugh at her peculiar eating habits. "I don't mean to be a pain, but do you happen to have fish sticks and vanilla pudding?"

The Doctor broke out into a huge smile and pulled a bowl covered in saran wrap from the fridge. "Does custard fit close enough?"

Alex considered. "Yeah," she said, then started to cough. Several minutes later, she finally finished.

Unbeknownst to Alex, after the Doctor had placed the fish sticks in the Microwave, he had started quietly scanning the girl with his sonic screwdriver. "So, let me ask you a few questions," the Doctor began, handing Alex a plate of fish sticks and a bowl of custard.

"Sure," said Alex, picking up a fish stick. She had a feeling that she already knew what the Doctor wanted to ask her about.

"How old are you?" the Doctor began, surprising Alex just the slightest bit. He sat on the counter across from her with his own plate and bowl.

"Almost 17."

"Why did you say you were on bed rest?"

Alex paused, she hated telling people. "I'm dying," she said finally, going into another coughing fit. When she finished, she continued, "The doctors think that it's some kind of genetic disease, but they can't trace it."

"Why?" the Doctor asked, in a way that suggested he already knew the answer.

"I'm adopted. I was just a few days old when my parents found me," Alex said, tears coming to her eyes. "I just wish I knew why they gave me up."

An emotion of pain settled over the Doctor's face. "I had a daughter once. I don't know where she is…" the Doctor said, trailing off. He shook his head, much like Alex had done earlier. "Now," he began, jumping off the counter, "how about I heal you? Close your eyes and stand still."

Alex did as she was told. A moment later she heard a strange whirring sound that was accompanied by an odd green light and a slight tickling feeling. "There, all better."

Alex felt her head again. Miraculously, it was healed. "Thanks," she said, "now I'm off to break back in." She got up and walked out of the Doctor's blue box, leaving him to ponder her words.

Alex was walking in her front door when she heard a strange sound, like two pieces of metal grinding against each other. She turned her head towards the noise. A strange glow was coming from the park. All of the sudden, the noise and light just stopped. Instinctually, Alex knew the Doctor was gone, but that she would see him again.


	3. The Visitors

Oh, hello everybody. OK. To make the ideas behind the story more readily avaliable (while not having a major info-dump) I've added some of my theories to my homepage. Enjoy. In other news, I hope you like this next chapter, though the time-spacing is a little... awkward.

* * *

><p>3 Months Later<p>

**Fall**

Alex was deeply involved with a book about Astro-physics when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she said out of habit, not even bothering to stop reading.

A strange man walked into her room."Hello Alex," he said with an English accent. Alex immediately looked up. This man was about the same height as the Doctor, maybe a little taller. His shoulders were wider though, and he just seemed to be more… there. "I'm Rory," he said, seeming to be unsure of himself. "The Doctor sent me to check up on you. I'm a nurse."

Rory stood awkwardly in her door way, as if waiting for a response. "You know, I got better for a few weeks just after the Doctor left," Alex began, putting her book on the hospital style table in front of her. She took a deep breath and coughed for a few minutes before continuing. "Now they say that I'm missing some kind of particle from my system or something. Like, the air that I'm breathing here isn't what I should be breathing, I guess," Alex trailed off.

Rory looked very concerned, but like he was trying to hide it. "This may sound weird," he began.

Alex sighed. "The Doctor wants some samples and some answers, right?"

"Yeah, actually," Rory said, "How did you know?"

Alex shrugged. "He's a Doctor. Doctors always want samples and answers."

Rory nodded his head as if to say, 'Wha-well, yeah…' before explaining to Alex that he was a nurse. He busied himself around the room, pulling a small vial out of his bag. He located the IV in Alex's hand and disconnected the drip tube before reconnecting the vacuum-sealed vial and drawing blood. Rory looked up at Alex and asked, "So where are you from, originally, do you know?"

"Nope. No idea. I just showed up on my parents' doorstep. No records of me anywhere."

Rory nodded. "Do you like school?"

Alex shrugged. "I haven't been in actual school for awhile," she explained, before going into another coughing fit. When she was done she continued, "Even when I was in school, it was really boring. I could pick up everything much faster that the other kids. Take Spanish for example. Only knew hola and adios before school. We started learning it in second grade and I was fluent by third. It was like, deep down, I could already understand it."

Rory looked at her with wide eyes. He seemed so amazed, just like everyone else. Alex continued, "After I got sick, I started homeschooling. I graduated high school in a month and then started learning about what I wanted to. Just had my parents check out books from the library. I do a lot of internet research too. But I mostly take things apart. I want to know about the mechanics behind all of our technology, and eventually, the universe. Once I got the hang of electrical engineering, I started inventing things.

"Now, my big thing is physics and, more specifically, Astro-physics. Been reading a lot of Stephen Hawking, guy is a genius, but some of his theories are flawed. Anyways, my parents provide a tutor for the things they can. A local physics professor. An actual electrical engineer. Most don't last long. Only the first few months or so, then I surpass even them. It's kind of scary sometimes, but it's also really great."

Rory asked her a few more questions. Most of them were questions about her illness that Alex had answered before: if she went out of the country, if she ate anything different, if she had noticed any sort of growth throughout the house, how she would describe her pain, what she ate, how much she could eat, when she slept, the quality of her sleep, and about various other bodily functions. But every so often, Rory would surprise Alex with a random question about her life, her past and her parents. Alex answered all of the nurse's questions as best as she could between the coughing fits.

She always watched his reaction too her answers. Though he was very good at keeping a blank face, sometimes her answers would garner a look of shock, confusion, surprise, or even delight, to sweep across the young man's face before once again disappearing.

When Rory left Alex was absolutely sure that the Doctor knew something and, that he was purposely keeping it from her. Alex was determined to find out what.

**Winter**

Alex awoke with a start. Someone was watching her. She quickly scanned the room, there, her door was cracked ever so slightly, and someone was peeking in. Alex could hear her parents softly whispering to the stranger, but whoever it was stopped them before she could figure out what was going on.

"She's awake," the stranger, a woman, said with a fairly thick accent. Alex thought that it might be Irish or Scottish, she never was good at telling the two apart.

Her mom opened the door. Sophia Williams was an average early 21st century woman. Her long, dark brown, curly hair contrasted greatly with Alex's short, stick-straight blonde locks, but her eyes were a gentle blue. Jacob Williams, Alex's adoptive father, was also fairly unremarkable. The pair was simply an average American couple living in the middle of the Country. Sophia was about 5'3'' and Jacob was 5'8''. Both were about 20lbs overweight, which was still average.

Alex could tell that this new woman was taking all of these little details in. The woman's eyes swept the room. Alex took her turn at analyzing the woman. She was young, only in her late twenties or so, but she looked a little worn, like she'd seen her fair share of sorrow. Her coppery red hair hung in long, lazy curls and her hazel eyes seemed to change color every few seconds.

"Hi sweetheart," Sophia began, "You have a visitor."

Alex pulled at the oxygen mask that was secured over her nose and mouth. "Hello," she said, with much difficulty, before going into a small coughing fit.

"Hi there. I'm Amy Pond," the woman said, a little too bouncily for Alex's taste.

Sophia and Jacob still stood in the doorway. Amy seemed to motion her head towards them, ever so slightly. "Ah. Well, we'll be leaving now," Jacob said, pulling his wife out of the doorway. "You two ladies have a lovely chat."

"Let me guess," Alex began, laboring through the sentence. She had to take a breath from the oxygen mask in between every word. "The Doctor sent you, right?"

"Well, yes and no." Amy said. "The Doctor sent me to talk to your parents. He thinks he's found a cure, but you'd have to come with us."

Alex's face lit up. Traveling with the Doctor would surely be magnificent.

"Hold on, don't get too excited yet," Amy interjected, breaking through Alex's new daydream about the Doctor's adventures, "The Doctor is in the middle of a war. All across space and time. It's dangerous. Too dangerous for your parents to come with us. If anyone goes, it just has to be you."

Alex took a moment to process the information. She nodded, showing that she understood.

"We're coming back to get you," Amy said. She pressed a smooth metal object into Alex's hand. "You just need to wait a little longer. Hold in there, and put that on. Hopefully it'll give you a few extra weeks."

Alex nodded and Amy left. Alex fought the urge to fall asleep. She looked at the metal object. It was a ring, engraved with odd circular and hexagonal symbols. Alex slipped it onto her finger and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Spring**

The monitor beeped slowly in the background of Alex's dreams: a constant reminder that she was, in fact, still alive, holding onto the hope that the Doctor was still coming to get her. She'd waited nine months altogether, slowly catching onto the fact that the Doctor was sending people to check up on her every three months. Somewhere in her brain, Alex registered that the three months mark was soon; a new visitor would be arriving.

Alex's door opened. She struggled to open her eyes. A tall, elegant woman was sitting beside her bed. Alex looked into the woman's eyes, not missing any detail. She was upset about something, Alex's condition perhaps? The woman stood up and began to pace the room, her long blonde curls bouncing with every step.

The woman stopped at the end of Alex's bed when she noticed that the young girl was awake. "Hello Alexandra," she said. Alex pondered the woman's accent. It was British, but also not; like she had grown up in America before spending most of her adult life overseas.

Alex blinked a few times in response. Most of her fine motor skills had already been wiped out when Amy visited, now even large movements were very restricted. It took almost all of Alex's little amount of energy to lift a finger, let alone nod her head. More recently though, Alex completely lost her powers of speech; losing her voice like she just had a typical cold.

"My name is Dr. River Song," she said. "The Doctor sent me to check up on you and to give you a message. He wanted me to let you know that you have to hang on." Alex blinked again, this time summoning enough energy to barely tilt her chin up. The woman must have realized the amount of effort that it took Alex to do that, because she said, "It's alright, you don't have to stay awake for me. You need your rest."

Alex blinked a thanks and closed her eyes. Her thoughts stayed constantly on the border between the dream world and reality. In some corner of her mind, Alex thought that she heard River exclaim something about the Doctor taking his own sweet time, but she shook it off as she passed fully into the land of dreams.

Sometime later, Alex re-awoke to find the woman gone. In her place, there was a note. Alex could just make out the words from her place on the bed. It read: Breathe Sweetheart. We're on our way. From, the Doctors, the nurse and the redhead. Alex smiled a little and fell back asleep.


	4. Blink

**Hey guys! So, the D-key on my keyboard is a little out of whack. I think I managed to catch everywhere it happened, but there might be some cases where "and" was accidentally left as "an". **

* * *

><p><strong>Summer<strong>

Alex counted in her head:

One year and four days since she'd met the Doctor.

9 months and three days since Rory, the man-nurse, had come asking questions.

6 months and two days since the redheaded Amy had come bearing a message.

3 months and one day since River Song had come to share the news.

It was her 18th Birthday.

It was also the morning the Doctors said she wouldn't make it another week.

Alex's bed was sat up. All around her room, her family and her closest friends gathered around. A Happy Birthday sign was hung haphazardly across the wall behind Alex's head.

She looked around the room, watching as everybody tried their best to have a good time. On some level, Alex resented them. They were walking. Something she hadn't done since early fall. They could breathe without help, a privilege that was taken away from Alex when she lost control of her muscles. They could speak, and laugh and hear, when Alex had begun to lose her senses in the spring. Their organs weren't failing. They would live longer than next week.

Then again, they would be the ones crying this time in a week. They had to listen to the monitors beeping away Alex's final moments.

To be honest, Alex kind of enjoyed the silence. She didn't have to listen to people say how sorry they were for her, like they could've done something about it. Every once in a while, Alex would briefly hear a loud noise, and sometimes her ears would ring with echoes of the sounds around her.

Alex listened. Right now she could hear a fuzzy noise. She strained further, almost expecting it to be her own imagination. No, there it was again, this was definitely different. Alex listened harder. This was an actual noise; an actual, familiar noise.

Alex watched the people in her room for their reactions. The sound must have been very loud, because several guests were covering their ears in an attempt to block out the noise. At least Alex was certain that she hadn't imagined it. She thought back to the last time she had heard that noise. Almost a year ago; a little over a year ago, actually, but one thing was certain. The Doctor was back.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Doctor, Rory, Amy and River all walked into Alex's room. The Doctor quickly approached her parents, motioning towards the door and making wild gestures. Someone else in the room must've said something, because all of the heads in the room turned towards the Doctor and his companions. The Doctor paused his story and waved sheepishly at the crowd; he then turned and flashed a reassuring smile at Alex.

She replied with a confused smile, though no one realized her confusion. It was hard to make out a smile at all through the breathing mask and tubes that surrounded her face, let alone one of confusion.

The Doctor and his companions joined the party, though they all seemed to be on alert. Several times Alex saw River stealthily pull out a tablet and scan the surroundings. Amy and Rory both kept glancing at the clock and out the window. Even the Doctor seemed on edge. He finally convinced Alex's parents to talk in the hallway.

Other than her unexpected visitors, and their strange behavior, Alex's parents had tried to make it a normal party. There were cake and ice-cream, Alex's favorite kinds of course, as well as a table full of presents. When it was time, everyone gathered around her bed and sang Happy Birthday. Alex blinked rapidly, hoping to send a message of thanks to her friends and family.

After the desserts, people started trickling out of the room. The Doctor and Alex's parents returned from the hallway, and all three seemed to be more anxious than ever. Alex was sure that she saw Sophia and Jacob even suggest that a few of the guests leave early. Eventually, Alex was left with the Doctor, Amy, Rory, River and her parents.

The Doctor approached her be. The way his lips moved, Alex thought that he was saying hello, but she couldn't be absolutely sure. Alex parents stopped him, no doubt telling him about her sensory loss. The Doctor only nodded and pulled a device that looked like a small flashlight from his inside jacket pocket. He quickly waved it around Alex's head, shining the light in her eyes, ears and even down her throat. He flicked his wrist and the top of the flashlight popped out. He nodded again and stuck the light up end inside of Alex's right ear.

Alex felt her ear grow warm, and slowly sound came in, like someone was pulling a piece of cotton from her ear. Soon, Alex could hear the buzzing and whirring of the device. She instantly realized that it was the same thing the Doctor had used to fix her cut a year ago. He repeated the process with her left ear.

"Alex," he said, "I want you to blink twice if you can hear me. "

Alex did as she was told. Sophia, who was standing off to the side, slightly behind her husband, clapped her hands to her mouth as tears rushed to her eyes; Jacob just beamed across the room at her. River was standing just to the left of Alex's bed, with Amy and Rory staggered behind her. All three of them said hello at the same time. The Doctor leaned over Alex's right hand side to look her directly in the face. He had an amused look that told Alex that the Doctor was very aware of how well he was doing.

The Doctor walked to the end of her bed as her parents counter-crossed the room so they were standing opposite of River and Amy. "Ok, here's the deal. I could restore your speech pattern, but I haven't got time. We need to establish a means of communication, so I want you to blink twice for yes and once for no. Got that?"

Alex blinked twice.

"Good. Alright, you're eighteen now, the legal age in America, correct?"

Two blinks.

"That's what I thought. Now, we are going to give you a choice. You can either travel with us," he said, motioning to the other three standing on Alex's left. "Or you can stay at home. But! You should know a few other things. Number 1: we have a cure for your sickness. Number 2: You would get to travel through all of time and Space. Number 3: Our lives are dangerous. Number 4: We're fighting a war right now, which makes our already dangerous lives that more dangerous. Number 5: You'll be helping River and I track down our daughter. Number 7, no I've lost count, Number 6: You're not 100% human. Number 7: We can help you find your parents. And finally, Number 8: If you come with us, you'll have to leave your adoptive parents behind, and you might not see them again."

Alex looked around the room. Here was her opportunity to live, to see the universe, to travel and even possibly find her parents. Her eyes travelled around the room, stopping on her Earth parents. These people had raised her from an infant. Her mother's face was buried in her father's chest.

But it wasn't really a choice, was it? Go and live. Or stay and die. She looked back at the Doctor.

He said the words slowly, emphasizing each syllable. "Will you travel with us?"

Blink.

Blink.


	5. Escape

"Excellent," said the Doctor, as his friends busied themselves about the room. All seemed to be back in their worried mood. River ran from the room and just moments later the TARDIS appeared in her room. River came out and began to help Amy as they emptied her closet and drawers into bags, throwing them into the TARDIS's open door. Rory bustled around Alex, checking all of her medical equipment. The Doctor moved to Alex's side and motioned her parents over. Alex looked at them and blinked three times, wanting them desperately to understand that she was sorry and that she loved them.

"I don- I don't know what you're saying sweetie," her mother said, a bit densely, as she grabbed the teenager's hand.

"Oh! Hold on a mo!" exclaimed the Doctor. "I can't fix your speech pattern entirely, but I might be able to convert your thought patterns through the TARDIS translation matrix and my screwdriver," he said, fiddling with the knobs on his flashlight-looking device. Apparently, it was a screwdriver, though Alex couldn't see how. He touched the glowing part to Alex's temple. "Now, just think about whatever you want to say."

"I'm sorry. I love you," came a virtual sounding voice from somewhere.

Alex's parents started crying as they took turns kissing her forehead. There were loud noises coming from downstairs. After one crash in particular, Alex was sure she heard some creature say, "Exterminate."

Everyone else seemed to hear it too. Alex watched as her dad's demeanor changed in an instant. "Goodbye, darling. I love you," he told Alex as he ran from the room.

Alex's mother sat for another moment before getting up. "I think I should go help you father. I love you baby girl, be safe."

Everyone was frantic now. Through the corner of her eye, Alex saw her parents walk past her door carrying large weapons. "Alex sweetheart, is there anything else you need?" River Song asked, butting in behind the Doctor.

Alex thought for a second. "My bag. It's on my desk and the notebooks in the drawers," she requested. Amy, River and Rory, who had finished getting Alex's medical equipment ready, ripped the drawers to her desk open. Each person had their own drawer and each pulled a stack of twenty or so notebooks out.

"You mean all of them?" asked Rory, shocked.

Alex blinked twice.

Rory shook his head in wonder and helped the women pull the remaining notebooks out of the drawer before stuffing them in Alex's bag.

"Ok then. We have got to go," the Doctor said, helping Rory pull Alex's bed away from the wall. The noises from downstairs were getting louder. More and more creatures were shouting Exterminate and sounds that Alex could only describe as Star Wars' laser blasts echoed around her tiny house. "Let's move!"

All of the Doctor's companions followed his command. All of Alex's luggage was pulled into the TARDIS and Alex quickly followed. Everything was secure behind the TARDIS's blue doors. Alex took a last look at her room. Rory was headed towards the door, about to pull it close when Alex saw it. It was a metal creature covered in strange, round knobs. Just before Rory managed to close the doors Alex heard the monster yell, "EXTERMINATE."

She started blinking, moving anything and everything she possibly could. Alex knew they couldn't take her parents, but they could save them. He had to try. He just had to. Whatever those creatures were, they were going to kill the only parents she had ever known.

River came to sit on the edge of her bed. She reached up to pat Alex's head. "Shh, shh… It'll be alright. It'll be alright," she said, looking like she just wanted to hold Alex in her arms. While River had the girl distracted, Rory slowly slipped next to her and injected a sleeping serum into her IV.

The edges of Alex's vision blurred as sleep took hold of her. She fought the urge to close her eyes. She fought with all of her ailing strength.

The last thing Alex saw before drifting off to space was the Doctor, leaning in to talk to her saying, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Alexandra."


	6. The White Room

**QUICK AUTHOR NOTE**:

Hi guys, I'm really sorry this took so long. I've been super busy with school and, honestly, I didn't realize how busy I was going to get. So, as a treat, I've decided to upload two chapters in an attempt to be forgiven. I hope it works.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Doctor Who characters.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong> The White Room

Alex awoke sometime later and, immediately, a few things sprang to her attention. The first, and by far most exciting, came when Alex realized that she could breathe normally, without the help of machines. It was like someone lifted a huge weight off of her chest. Alex took several deep breaths in, savoring the freedom.

After the novelty of breathing wore off, the next thing Alex noticed was that her ability to move on her own had also returned. Slowly, but surely, she was gaining control of each finger; each limb, as the anesthesia and sickness wore off. Wiggling her toes, feet, fingers and hands brought another fact to her attention. No tubes hindered the movement of her hands. In fact, there were no machines at all. No annoying beeping in the background, no sticky pads stuck to her forehead and body. Not even a heart rate and blood pressure monitor on her finger.

Alex sat up and looked around, taking in her surrounding for the first time. Immediately, she fell back, disorientated. She was floating in a white room. Well, she suspected it was a room, but couldn't ultimately tell as there were no walls, no floor, and no ceiling. There wasn't even a defined up and down. More importantly though, there was no way in, and no way out.

Alex began to panic. Was this heaven? Had she died somewhere? Was the Doctor not able to save her? The last thing Alex could remember was the Doctor's face saying something to her and—whoosh.

The sound interrupted her train of thought. Startled, Alex twisted to her left and saw River standing at the edge of the abyss.

"Hello sweetheart," the older woman said. "Glad to see that you've finally woken up." River balanced a tray of food in one hand and pushed a button on her watch with the other. She cautiously stepped into the void and was propelled forward by small jets of air affixed to her shoes towards Alex. She handed Alex the tray, and sat down. "How are you feeling?"

Alex thought for a moment, using the time to open the container on her tray, finding a Peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich and a cold carton of milk. "Hungry," she finally said. It was then that it hit her. She was still holding the lid, and she wasn't sure what to do with it. There wasn't exactly a down, and the tray was too full for her to put it there.

River sensed her confusion. "It's an anti-chamber; anti-gravity, anti-time, anti-space, basically anti-everything except light and life. Even then, it's anti-life to a certain extent. Just place the lid anywhere and it will stay there. It's vaguely similar to suspended animation."

Alex did as she was told. Sure enough, the lid hovered in the air where she let go of it. Immediately, alex took the sandwich in both hands, savorying every bite. It was so good to actually chew her food again, instead of being fed by tubes of liquids she never got to taste.

River looked at Alex with longing eyes. "You know, my daughter is about your age," she said.

Alex was digging at her upper-pallet where a peanut butter smeared piece of bread had glued itself. She paused. "Oh really?" she slurred, before returning to the task at hand.

"Oh yes, but, we had to send her away, the Doctor and I," River said, looking off into the distance, a tears beginning to form in her eyes. She shook her head, as if clearing away the thoughts that cluttered her brain. "Speaking of the Doctor, he wants you out of this room as soon as possible."

Alex took a gulp of milk before asking River why.

"Well, this room can have side-effects on a lot of species. Humans, for instance, get their internal clocks stopped if they stay in here long enough, meaning that they can never grow old, or that they grow old at a much slower rate. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever you prefer, the Doctor found non-human DNA mixed in with your Human DNA. You're about half and half. The problem is, the Doctor is not entirely sure what your other half is, meaning that if you stay in this room too long, you could die."

Alex almost choked on her sandwich. A lump had formed in her throat and Alex quickly took a drink of milk to keep the food moving, before quickly finishing her food.

River stood gracefully, as though she spent a significant amount of time in and out of Anti-chambers. She helped Alex on her feet before touch her watch once again. This time, they stopped just short of the door. River stepped onto the solid floor and looked back at Alex. "Now, you've been in the anti-chamber for a while, and not able to walk for some time before that so—"

Alex rushed forward, stepping onto the ground and her legs collapsed underneath her.

"—You might need to work up the strength to walk again," River finished, suppressing a small laugh and smile at Alex's independence. She pulled Alex onto her feet and supported both of their weight while she handed Alex a crutch. "Here, let me help you."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"On the TARDIS?" About three weeks. The Doctor and Rory have both been in and out of your room the whole time. Honestly, I just think that you give them an inflated sense of importance. But, here we are, off to see Nurse Rory in the med bay, or, as I like to call him, dad."


	7. Proof of Health

**QUICK AUTHOR NOTE**:

Hi guys, I'm really sorry this took so long. I've been super busy with school and, honestly, I didn't realize how busy I was going to get. So, as a treat, I've decided to upload two chapters in an attempt to be forgiven. I hope it works.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Doctor Who characters.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong> Proof of Health

Alex giggled and they limped together down the short hallway till they reached a second Anti-chamber. River punched a code into the strange pad on the doorframe. The door slid open with an identical whoosh that had startled Alex less than an hour ago, and the young girl peered inside. It was very similar to the one Alex had woken up in, only this one had several floating beds, each with a patient on it. Rory was using a watch device like River's to fly between the beds, checking vitals, taking samples and running through various other medical procedures.

As they waited for the busy nurse to get to them, River explained a few things. "Anti-Chambers take up the same amount of space as a normal room, but they have an infinite storage capacity. The room you were in was added when we brought you aboard. It's amazing, your CSTE energy is through the roof. Helped us add several new features."

Alex gave her a confused look. "What is CSTE energy?"

River held up a finger to let Alex know to hold her question for just a moment as the older woman was already propelling herself across the Anti-Chamber to retrieve a wheel chair for Alex. After she got Alex situated, she told her, "CSTE means Complicated Space-Time Event. Your DNA, and therefore, your entire being in shrouded in 'void-stuff.' Void-stuff is little clumps of energy that humans don't normally experience. Things like Huon Radiation and Buzon particles. The Doctor's companions accumulate void-stuff by traveling through space and time with him. We use the energy from the void-stuff to expand the TARDIS. It's all very complicated stuff."

Alex nodded. She figured she'd ask more about it later, as right now, she was fighting sleep from just that short walk between rooms.

"Hello Alex," Rory said as she and River approached. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she said, suppressing a yawn. "And my throat is a little sore, but I can breathe again. It's wonderful!"

Rory nodded. "The sore throat doesn't surprise me at all. Just, try to take it easy, okay? Don't strain yourself. We'll work up to walking again, and no yelling for a few days, either." He pulled Alex's wrist up to his face, looking at a watch band that Alex hadn't even noticed. "Her vitals are good, River. I expect she's good to go to Dinner, tonight."

River nodded and headed back towards the door. "Can we keep the chair?" She called over her shoulder.

"Sure."

Alex was secretly glad that she wouldn't have to limp all around the TARDIS. From what she'd seen, it was quite a bit bigger than it looked. They headed back down the hallway, passing where the door to the anti-chamber had been just minutes before. Alex did a double-take.

"Don't worry," River began, "the Doctor is re-organizing rooms. I'm sure he put that room down in the sleeping area. He's probably already fixing it back to a regular room so you'll have a room of your owm."

Alex nodded in amazement before a question struck her. "Where is my stuff?" she asked suddenly.

"That, is a very good question. The Doctor and I are taking a trip to the base. We shouldn't be gone very long. A few days at the most, in the meantime, Rory and Amy will be aboard the TARDIS, and you'll be staying in our room," River said as the pulled next to a door that River elaborately waved her hand at.

Alex rolled herself inside and gasped. The room was bathed in a warm, golden light. In the very center stood a hexagonal-shaped bed. The end posts were carved with intricate circular and hexagonal designs. The walls were a red somewhere between Antique brass and the color of the eraser at the end of the pencils Alex used to use in school. There was a beautiful gold trim, inlaid with designs similar to ones Alex had seen in pictures of old Victorian and Elizabethan style homes. All around the room hung ornate objects: old war regalia and tendrils of metallic green bits and bobs.

"The Doctor will get your room finished when he and I return. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. Amy will be by to pick you up for dinner at 7. I'd suggest a nap."

Alex nodded, she was tired. River helped her pick clothes out for dinner and helped her into bed. The blankets were warm and she felt both like she was floating on air, and sinking into a cloud.

It seemed like minutes later when Alex vaguely heard a knock on the door. Someone called out to her softly. Alex struggled on the edge of consciousness; a figure approached her, shrouded in darkness, holding a large object up. Alex squinted, trying to determine what the object was. She recognized the shape and screamed.


	8. Dinner

**A/N**: Sorry that this chapter is so short, it was just how the story lulled for the moment.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: Dinner<p>

Amy was shaking the teenager's shoulder. Alex was soaked with sweat and her throat suddenly hurt. "Are you okay?" Amy asked.

Alex took a deep breath and nodded, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. "Yeah, I am, it must've been a bad dream. Is it dinner?" Honestly, Alex felt like it was more than that, but how could she explain it without sounding crazy?

Amy looked at girl with a devilish grin. "No, I just wanted to take you for a spin," she said with playful sarcasim. Alex brushed her comment off while the redhead helped her out of the hospital-style gown and into a sundress. Alex got a brief glance at her reflection in the mirror on River's vanity.

"Wow," she said, tugging at the ever so slightly, wavy, long blonde hair. "Is there any way I can get a haircut?"

Amy pondered the question for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose so. I think Jackie used to be a hairdresser. We'll ask her at dinner. Now come on, I'm starving."

Amy offered to help Alex off of the bed and into her wheelchair, but the young girl refused, saying she needed to learn how to be independent. Alex pushed herself into a sitting position. She swung her legs off of the edge of the bed, carefully balancing her weight between the chair and the bed. She could put some pressure on her legs, but too much and they would collapse underneath her.

It took Alex a few minutes to position herself in the chair. Amy was watching her curiously. She noted the way Alex was so furiously independent, and it reminded her of someone, she just couldn't quite put a finger on it. Amy got us as Alex said she was ready and the two made their way down the hallway.

"The Doctor and Rory planned a schedule for you. Tomorrow you start physical therapy with Rory and tutoring with some of the Doctor's previous companions," Amy said as they rounded the final corner.

A young black woman approach the two. "Hi! My name's Martha Jones," she said, with an accent that matched everyone else's. "I'll be one of your tutors."

"I must warn you, I typically outgrow my tutors fairly quickly," Alex said.

Martha laughed. "Not this time, you won't. Along with Donna and Sarah Jane, we'll be teaching you about all of time and space."

Amy and Alex walked over to a long table, with at least 50 seats. Martha talked with them the whole time, chatting about her old job at UNIT and describing some of her first adventures with the Doctor.

Alex soaked all of the information in. After meeting the Doctor only twice, she was already addicted to his life. Martha split off once they reached the table. Alex watched as she took a seat just down from Amy and Rory. Amy positioned Alex's chair on the corner of the table so that the redhead sat on her left. Next to her were Rory, a different redheaded woman, a handsome man, and Martha. There were still five or six more people past her.

The four chairs on Alex's right were empty. Amy explained to Alex that the Doctor and River typically sat in the middle two and that their Daughter would someday occupy one of the extra seats.

The table slowly filled in around them. The seats across from Amy and Rory remained empty, but Alex slowly learned that the woman sitting next to Rory was named Donna Noble, and the man next to her was named Captain Jack Harkness. Alex liked Jack, and it didn't hurt that he had the familiar American accent that Alex hadn't realized she so desperately missed. On and on, all down the table, were people from every race of humanity and more introduced themselves to Alex.

Everyone was kind to her and they readily welcomed the new comer to their group. Of course, they all had their suspicions. The Doctor hadn't been around as much since they'd picked up Alex, and no one was quite sure why. Some people knew that she was only half human, and they were quick to jump to the conclusion that she was, in fact, Harmony, but no one said anything to the teenager. It was too risky, and besides, they trusted the Doctor. He would tell them if she was Harmony or not.

Only one person in the room knew who she really was, what she really was. He laughed along with the rest of the group and even told stories from his days as a plastic soldier protecting the Pandorica and his dying wife inside. He was going to keep Alex's secret until she figured it out or the Doctor decided to tell her.


End file.
